Coalition Demands Release of King Assassination Files, Public Review
of Evidence

Press Release, Coalition on Political Assassinations, 6 April 1997

Coalition on Political Assassinations
PO Box 772
Washington, DC 20044
National Coalition Demands Release of King Assassination Files, Public
Review of Evidence:
Researchers Suggest Several Ways to Determine the Truth

Washington, DC - The recent, historic meeting of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.'s son, Dexter King and James Earl Ray, the alleged assassin of Dr. King
underscored both the legacy of nonviolence and truth that Dr. King
exemplified and the need for a re-hearing of the case and a resolution to
the serious questions that remain concerning guilt and responsibility for
Dr. King's death. A national coalition of researchers, authors and medical
experts, the Coalition on Political Assassinations, is supporting the
current call by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s family and civil rights
leaders for a re-hearing of the case against alleged assassin James Earl
Ray. In addition, the Coalition is calling for full disclosure of all
government records relating to the assassination and official
investigations. Thousands of independent researchers agree that serious
unresolved questions remain in the murder of Dr. King, and the guilt of
James Earl Ray.

"Even if the Tennessee Court of Appeals fails to grant testing of the
alleged murder weapon and fatal bullet," notes researcher and author Philip
Melanson, Ph.D., a board member of the Coalition, "or the tests are
inconclusive, other legal options exist that go beyond the legal appeal
rights of James Earl Ray in this case. Even if Ray dies from his current
illness, the case should not." Melanson points to several other legal
options, including a Tennessee law that would allow the family of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. to appoint a "private prosecutor" who can then call
witnesses and hear evidence.

"At the federal level, US Attorney General Janet Reno can convene a grand
jury to hear evidence, or appoint a special prosecutor," Melanson notes,
"and we will initiate a national petition to encourage her to act on the
case."

Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, MD, JD, president of the Coalition, and former
president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, notes that,
"Regardless of the legal status of the case, we must push Congress and the
Clinton administration to release all government files pertaining to the
death of Dr. King and the subsequent investigation by federal agencies and
the House Select Committee on Assassinations. It is unjustified that these
files remain locked away while files pertaining to the murder of John F.
Kennedy are being released. We need full disclosure in all major political
assassinations."

The Coalition has called for full release of all government agency and
investigative files relating to Dr. King's life and death, including some
650-750,000 pages still kept secret by the House of Representatives as part
of the House Select Committee on Investigations probe in the 1970s. Tens of
thousands of citizens have already signed a national petition for their
release. Under House Rule 36, HSCA Chairman Louis Stokes sealed these files
for a period of 50 years, until 2028.

The Coalition is calling for a campaign to insure a public re-hearing of
all the facts of the case against Ray, as well as new evidence pointing to
the real conspirators. "Should all other legal avenues fail," says Melanson,
author of several books on the murder of Dr. King, "the American public has
a right to hear the facts of the case. We will work to insure that public
forums make this evidence visible to the average citizen. History and the
legacy of Dr. King demand no less."

The Coalition on Political Assassinations includes the Assassination
Archives and Research Center and the Committee for An Open Archives in
Washington, DC, and Citizens for Truth About the Kennedy Assassination" in
Los Angeles, California, with thousands of members in the United States and
around the world who seek to open the files and resolve the questions
surrounding the murders of John and Robert Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. and others.

ACTION ALERT

Justice Demands Reopening of the Martin Luther King Assassination Case:
New Forensic Tests and Trial for James Earl Ray,
Full Disclosure of Government Records

(Washington, DC 3/25/97) Dr. William Pepper, the attorney for James Earl
Ray, with the support of the wife and family of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
as well as many civil rights leaders who were associated with Dr. King, has
succeeded in convincing Tennessee Criminal Courts Judge Joseph Brown that
new scientific testing methods may be able to establish the innocence or
guilt of James Earl Ray, and that their results may allow a new trial for
the accused assassin of Dr. King, who has long maintained his innocence of
the murder and his role as a patsy in the case. The final decision rests
with the Tennessee Court of Appeals, which has the power to administer the
new forensic tests on the rifle and bullets allegedly used to kill Dr. King,
and to require a new trial for James Earl Ray. If the Appeals Court fails to
act in a timely fashion in favor of James Earl Ray, he may succumb to a
life-threatening liver disease which has twice made him comatose. Under
Tennessee laws, Ray's rights to new tests or a trial will end if he should
die first.

Dr. Pepper, a featured speaker at the 1996 national conference of the
Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA) is joining with our
organization in calling for a quick, favorable decision in these matters by
the appeals court, and a full trail for James Earl Ray, who pled guilty at
his 1969 trail and then attempted to reverse his plea following conviction.
Hard ballistic evidence has failed to date to conclusively link Ray to the
murder, or the alleged murder weapon to the bullet that killed Dr. King. The
House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that Ray had been
the assassin, but had not acted alone in planning the murder. However, their
conclusions were not based on solid forensic evidence, but on Ray's guilty
plea and subsequent testimony to the HSCA. William Pepper, Esq. will speak
on the case again this year at the National Conference of COPA, June 13-15,
1997 at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

In addition, the HSCA Chairman, Congressman Louis Stokes, used House Rule
36 to seal all investigative files and records used in their study of the
King assassination until 2028. These files number 650-700,000 pages in the
National Archives, and should be fully available for release. Other records
doubtless exist in the files of government agencies relating to the
assassination, the COINTELPRO program of the FBI, and military intelligence
spying on Dr. King and other civil rights leaders. Dr. Pepper's
investigation suggests that film and photographic records of the
assassination are hidden in government repositories. The Committee for an
Open Archives, a member group of the Coalition on Political Assassinations,
has distributed a national petition since 1990 for the release of these
records and repeal of House Rule 36, which allows Congressional committee
chairs to seal investigative files for 50 years. The Coalition now calls on
Congress to implement full disclosure of all records relating to the King
assassination, using as a model the JFK Assassination Records Act of 1992.
The establishment of an independent civilian review board, including
distinguished members of African-American community, legal scholars,
historians and archivists, and independent researchers in this case is
required to restore public confidence and to pursue historical truth.

Members of COPA and others are urged to write or fax the Tennessee Court of
Appeals, demanding that new ballistics and forensic tests be performed, and
that a new trial be granted immediately for James Earl Ray. A sample letter
written by author and researcher Philip Melanson, Ph.D. follows, and can be
copied for your use or rewritten. In addition, we urge you to contact your
local Congressional and Senate representatives to urge that the appropriate
government operations and oversight committees draft new legislation to
release the files relating to the still unsolved murder of Dr. King. Justice
and history demand no less.

I urge the court to act swiftly and positively in the pursuit of truth and
justice in the tragic assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Allowing
new scientific tests to be performed on the alleged murder weapon and fatal
bullet, and ordering a trial for alleged assassin James Earl Ray are
essential in resolving the serious, unanswered questions concerning Dr.
King's death. Inaction or negative decisions by this court would constitute
a disservice to the King family, the public and our nation's history, as
well as to our system of justice.

For more information on your local representatives who serve on these
committees, call or contact COPA, P O Box 772, Washington, DC 20044 (202)
785-5299 or 584-2010 (FAX). Our on-line address is copa@nicom.com or on the
Web at http://www.nicom.com/~copa. The Coalition on Political Assassinations
represents thousands of forensic and ballistics experts, medical doctors,
academics, authors, researchers and citizens who believe that serious
questions remain in regard to the deaths of John and Robert Kennedy and Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. We support full disclosure of all government files
relating to these murders, and work toward a resolution of these mysteries.
Our regular membership is $35 annually, and includes occasional issues of
our newsletter Open Secrets.